Recently, the Prime Minister of our country, Mr. Narendra Modi, in his live radio podcast show, Mann Ki Baat, reminded the citizens of National Nutrition Week, which is celebrated every year in India in the first week of September. This year the theme related to the week was declared to be Eat Right, Bite by Bite.
In the wake of a disease so life-threatening and unfortunate like COVID-19, this year’s Nutrition week theme has been focusing on keeping the immunity as healthy as possible, enabling the body to defend itself from all the oddities. Since self-quarantine has become a regular process from the past six months, keeping in touch our body with as much required nutrients as possible is very necessary.
When we are talking about nutrition, being an Indian, spices play a vital role in making the food savoring as well as nutritious. Herbs are a creation of our ancestors who left the legacy to help in the cooking-process passed down from one generation to another.
Turmeric, among all the other spices, rules the Indian cuisines, without which a portion of food isn’t complete neither in taste nor essential nutrition since it is National Nutrition Week, the particular emphasis given to the term so that to enhance the qualities of the Super-Food- Turmeric.
How is Turmeric a Super-Food?
Turmeric is a powdered spice used in foods in parts of Asia. It is a tall plant that is grown in Asian and Central America, and the powdered Turmeric is derived from the ground root of this tall plant. Another name given to this herb is- ‘Indian saffron’ or the ‘Golden Spice.’
The term goldern is used not because of it’s color ( which could be one of the factors), but because of properties, it has in helping the body gain essential nutrients and vitamins. However, there is also an active ingredient present in Turmeric known as Curcumin, which is deemed to be appropriate and has potent biological properties.
Turmeric is considered the most effective and potent nutritional supplement ever existed. Researchers have claimed it in benefitting a human boy and brain in a million possible ways. Some of which are described below:
A Good Source to help in Preventing Cancer
There are various kinds of cancer; still, the disease has certain aspects that are found common in all sorts of cancers, which could be cured with the help of Curcumin, the active ingredient in Turmeric. Studies have shown Curcumin as a beneficial herb in cancer treatment and very effective in slowing down the cancer growth any further, halting its spreading at a molecular level.
Researchers have found that Curcumin in Turmeric can help in killing the cancerous cells and reduce the growth of new blood vessels in tumors and metastasis. The dosage of the curcumin supplement to stop the spread of cancer infection is still under observation for an accurate and honest finding.
Turmeric Contains Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Inflammation is necessary for the body, wherein it helps the body fight pathogens and helps in repairing the damage as well. But acute/Chronic inflammation or low-level inflammation can destroy the body from inside, causing diseases that would become incurable.
Curcumin helps in fighting chronic inflammation and is equally significant to an anti-inflammatory drug. By assisting in the block, the NF-kB molecule that travels into the nuclei of human cells turning the genes associated with inflammation active. Curcumin plays the role of a bioactive agent in fighting chronic inflammation.
A great Anti-Oxidant & Smooth Liver Functioning Agent
Free Radicals are the oxidants that majorly react with proteins of fat inside the body. They mainly react with the aging process and leads to specific chronic illnesses. Antioxidants help in keeping these free radicals at bay and fight them not to cause any harm to various organs.
Curcumin not only fights free radicals because of its antioxidant chemical properties but also activates and stimulates the natural antioxidant enzymes of our body.
Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease
According to an article published in Healthline, medical experts believe that the main reason behind a step further into heart disease is “the inability of your endothelium to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting and various other factors,” and this is known as endothelial dysfunction.
This endothelial function, which is a thin lining of a blood vessel, is improved by the consumption of Curcumin supplements. Also, due to Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it helps in reducing the chances of heart disease.
Curcumin May Help in preventing Alzheimer’s
Although, there has been no proper treatment discovered to reverse Alzheimer’s in a person, which is a resultant factor of Dementia. Curcumin has proved to be a natural remedy and “cross the blood-brain barrier.”
Studies state that the development of Alzheimer’s is mainly due to a build-up of a tangled protein termed as Amyloid Plaques. Curcumin helps in clearing out these plaques but still whether Curcumin can reverse Alzheimer’s or not is still a study to be observed.
Help in delaying of factors leading to Ageing and Chronic Illness
Everything at the end is related to oxidative elements and inflammation in the body, which means, at the same time, Turmeric helps in reducing free radicals and also balancing inflammation levels in our body. It is more likely that not only just early aging factors but diseases related to it are less likely to affect us.
All these factors make Turmeric a super-food wherein all the healing and medicinal properties, as it is considered in Ayurveda, make consumption of Turmeric essential, and consumption of the same in food is very nutritious and healthy.
